


合 (to join or combine)

by TheChatotMaestro



Category: Splatoon
Genre: Gen, M/M, Origin Story, diss-pair - Freeform, disspair - Freeform, it's cliche and predictable but im having fun and thats what matters, splatbands, to hell with haikara walker i do what i want, why is 'freeform' only on the disspair tags what does that mean
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-24
Updated: 2019-11-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:20:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21539647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheChatotMaestro/pseuds/TheChatotMaestro
Summary: Ikkan meets a stranger, and makes a string of bad decisions that he'll never regret.
Relationships: lkkan/Warabi (but only in the future)
Kudos: 6





	合 (to join or combine)

**Author's Note:**

> I'm hopefully going to write more splatbands stuff, but I don't know what to call the series I'll put it all together in... oh well ;w;  
> also I know that's not /exactly/ the meaning of that character? but that's what it means in the context of their full japanese band name so

The day had, for all intents and purposes, been going well.  
It was Wednesday, which meant recording day. Lately, that'd been less and less of a good thing, but this one had actually been fairly productive. The band had managed to agree on something again, and headway had been made on the album at last. Of course, as always, Ikkan was the last one in the studio- tidying up the equipment and making sure everything was put away safely. (He didn't know who used the room when they weren't, but whenever they got to the studio in the morning, it was never quite as nice as he'd left it.) Between that, the pleasant weather in the morning, and the admittedly phenomenal delivery lunch that Namida had surprised them all with, the day had turned out quite enjoyable indeed  
So, of course, when he left the studio, it was raining like hell.  
He scowled, shifting his bass on his shoulders. The case had held up against tougher weather before, but it still made him a little nervous every time it was exposed to the elements. He'd have to make sure it was alright once he got home. Oh, and he was also exposed to the elements as well. Thanks to the clear skies of this morning, he hadn't expected the need for an umbrella. So there was that.  
  
The walk back seemed a lot longer in the rain, even when he took the fast route. The sidewalks were mostly empty, at least, which was always good. On busy days, it was a choice between paying attention to people and, consequently, not getting home until one in the morning, or just ignoring them all like a dick. It was a difficult decision, especially when they were genuine fans and not just paparazzi. On a day like this, however. he could take his time.  
Of course, the streets weren't totally deserted. It was Inkopolis, after all, and even though most of the pedestrians had taken to the subways or the buses, there were bound to always be some people out. Like that hurried-looking businessman using his briefcase as an umbrella. Or those two teens in raincoats, holding hands and sharing earbuds. Or the shady figure in a black hoodie that had been walking in front of him for a couple of blocks now.  
They were just walking straight down a main road, of course, and it's not like the stranger was following him- he wasn't even certain they knew he was there. They could have had headphones in, or a general lack of awareness of his surroundings. (Or maybe paying focused attention to anyone behind him on the sidewalk was just something he'd picked up from dealing with paparazzi, and shouldn't have expected anyone else to do on a regular basis.) Still, something about the figure seemed... off. Their body language seemed anxious, like someone in a place they knew they shouldn't be: hunched over slightly, walking briskly, hands in their pockets. They had a light-looking black backpack on, and similarly colored pants and shoes, all equally drenched.   
Of course, Ikkan knew it wasn't right to judge people based on their appearances. So it was only when the sound of a distant police siren caused them to _bolt_ into a nearby alleyway that Ikkan decided that yep, they were up to no good.   
He paused for a moment before acting. Even if he was trained in self-defense, he didn't want to start fights. Besides, the stranger was surprisingly nimble, and probably long gone by now. However, a sudden loud crash from the direction of the alleyway startled him out of his thoughts. Had they... knocked over a trash can?  
Unable to fight his curiosity, Ikkan rounded the corner.  
  
  
  
The stranger had indeed ran straight into a dumpster. However, it wasn't the trash can that had been knocked over, but the stranger themself, who'd fallen backwards. As he scrambled to his feet, he caught sight of Ikkan staring. As the two of them made eye contact... the stranger's hood slipped off, letting Ikkan see his tentacles.  
...suckers on the outside.  
An Octoling.  
  
  
  
Everyone knew about Octarians. Distant cousins of the Inkling species, they'd lived alone in a canyon in the distant countryside for as long as anyone could remember, ever since The Great Turf War. They were more belligerent than other species of octopi, and they'd been ostracized by other species for their irresponsible uses of genetic engineering, even going so far as to create Octolings in order to better combat Inkling soldiers. However, according to the history books, Octarians hadn't been seen on the surface of their own turf since they'd lost the war, let alone in Inkling territory. Such a thing was unfathomable.  
So Ikkan was more than a little surprised to encounter one for himself in the capital city of the fucking country.  
  
For a tense moment, the two stared at each other.   
Ikkan didn't know how to react. Octolings were said to be bloodthirsty stealth warriors, armed to the teeth and highly trained in hand-to-hand combat. They were elite Octarian soldiers, reserved for the most important of military operations. Fearless, ruthless, and deadly.

...so why did this one look absolutely terrified?  
  
All of a sudden, the police siren suddenly got much louder, and they both jumped. Ikkan looked back at the street out of the corner of his eye- he couldn't see any lights yet, but judging by the sound, the cop car was definitely on its way in their direction.  
He narrowed his eyes, fixing them back on the Octoling. "They're after you?"  
The Octoling shook his head fervently, body language tensing up.  
"...where are you going?"  
He opened his mouth as if to respond, but paused, looking at the ground. After a moment, he just shrugged, shoulders still obviously tense.  
Interesting. So he wasn't being actively pursued? ...even if he wasn't technically wanted, Ikkan understood why he'd bolted at the first sign of the police- there'd probably be hell to pay if he got caught. So the only reason for him to be wandering around here was...  
  
The police car came and went down the street.  
  
...that he had nowhere else to go?  
  
  
  
It took a few moments for Ikkan to make a decision.  
  
  
  
"Put your hood up and come with me."  
  
The Octoling looked up, startled. Ikkan had started walking past him, motioning with a hand for him to follow. "Wha-"  
"Come on. You don't want to stand out in the rain all day, do you?" His tone and body language were carefully calm as he motioned with his hand again, but his second statement was quieter, and more urgent.   
"I can take you somewhere safe."   
The Octoling's eyes grew wide, and then he nodded, hiding his tentacles in his hood again and following along.  
  
  
  
The two of them walked silently through alleyways and small streets. Ikkan knew this area well, and made sure to keep them off the bigger roads as they made their way back towards his apartment. For once, he was actually grateful for his celebrity status. He'd never been one to want to hide his appearance in public, but he was acquainted with many people who _had_ to whenever they went out. So if the two of them were spotted, they wouldn't see two shifty guys sneaking around avoiding the police- they'd only see two celebrities sneaking around avoiding the press. And they were one of each, so it balanced out.  
For the most part, they walked side-by-side, with Ikkan putting himself between them and anyone walking the opposite direction. He took to observing the Octoling when he could- quite the interesting-looking guy, once he got a good look. He could barely see his tentacles, thanks to the hood, but what little he could see was. Well. Oddly colored, to say the least. A freaky vivid-orange-to-sickly-teal gradient that made him feel slightly sick when he looked at it too long, to say more. He just kept getting more and more suspicious by the moment, didn't he?..  
...truth be told, he didn't know why he was doing this. He knew it was dangerous, he knew he shouldn't trust the Octoling. But some part of him couldn't help but... take pity on the guy. ...at any rate, it didn't seem like he was going to hurt him now, after he'd been given all this ample opportunity away from prying eyes. And if he did end up attacked or abducted... Still better than going to the record label meeting tomorrow, he thought, trying to keep his thoughts from visiting too dark a place.   
Everything would turn out fine.

  
  
_And if he did end up attacked or abducted... well, it can't get much worse than how it's been, he thought, trying to keep his thoughts from visiting too dark a place._  
_Yeah. Couldn't get worse._

  
_They stopped in the foyer of an apartment building, where the Inkling had leaned against the wall to search through a pocket on the instrument case. Eventually, he produced his beaten-up pair of emergency sunglasses, offering them to his companion. He took them with a raised eyebrow, but put them on without further questioning- as it turned out, they were part of his cover story. "Work friend." The Inkling had said to the older lady at the front desk, and "If anyone asks, he's not here, okay?", and she'd gone with it without question._

_...who on earth had he run into?_

  
  
They went up the elevator in silence, and it was only a short walk down the hall to get to Ikkan's apartment.  
  
He flicked on the light, setting his keys down on the little table by the door and gently resting his bass against it. "Wait here. I'm gonna go dry off, I'll bring you back a towel." He didn't hear footsteps following him further into the apartment, so he didn't feel the need to look back. Eurydice was probably fine on his own.   
He grabbed a change of clothes as he passed by his room, and quickly put them on once he'd reached the bathroom, hanging them and a now-damp towel up to dry. On his way back, bearing a second towel, he stopped as he walked past the dresser again. ...would his clothes fit the octoling? It was a little hard to tell his size, but... he seemed to have a similar body type? Maybe some of Ikkan's older clothes would fit him- an old tour shirt, and a spare pair of sweatpants. That would probably do.  
When he returned, he gently tossed all three articles of clothing to his guest in the doorway, who didn't anticipate having things thrown at him and just barely managed to not drop them. Ikkan pointed with his thumb to the guest bathroom. "Go change out of those. You don't need pneumonia on top of... whatever you call all this." The octoling paused a moment, then nodded, quickly crossing the room and disappearing behind the door.  
Ikkan stared after him for a moment, then fell onto the couch with a sigh, checking his phone. 8:18 PM. No concerning notifications, no one had messaged him all afternoon, and even the most inflammatory of social media sites had nothing to say. He looked out of the window- it was still bucketing, but aside from that, all was well outside. The rest of the world, it seemed, was having a completely normal day.  
  
The door opened.  
"What sh-"  
"Hang 'em up."  
The door closed.  
  
...what on earth was he supposed to do?

**Author's Note:**

> why does everything i write have a completely different formatting style what is wrong with me
> 
> (ok ill fix the formatting but only if it actually bothers anyone cause im lazy)


End file.
